The New Year’s Eve contest showcased constant competition fueled by dynamic duos, paint points and a stellar second quarter, resulting in the Cyclones’ 14th straight victory.
Standout second quarter
Through a tough conference clash, one key part of Iowa State’s game secured the feisty victory. The second-quarter performance propelled the Cyclones to a position the Cougars could not reach.
With a 17-14 Iowa State lead at the first-quarter finish, the banter between both teams established the perfect conference contention. Similarly, the third quarter ended in a 16-15 finish, and the fourth quarter concluded with a 19-16 score.
The Cyclones’ 28-17 point differential in the second quarter showed an emphasis on accuracy and chemistry. Between these two points of performance, Iowa State found its way to excel while Houston remained stable.
Between the two teams, the ability to put up shots remained consistent, but with a 43.8% field goal percentage in the second quarter, the Cougars began a road to their second straight loss.
Iowa State’s difference maker in the quarter was junior guard Jada Williams, who contributed seven points, one rebound and four assists.
Junior guard Arianna Jackson and junior center Audi Crooks both contributed six points each. Between these three alone, the Cyclones found themselves outscoring the Cougars in the quarter.
Dynamic duos
Another key aspect of this electric competition is the sheer talent of both teams. Two sets of dynamic duos showcased what Big 12 women’s basketball stands for.
Houston’s senior guard TK Pitts and graduate student guard Briana Peguero led their team with two stellar performances, paired with Iowa State’s duo of Crooks and Williams, who had their own standout performances.
In Pitts’ 40 minutes of playing time, she dropped seven points, 15 rebounds and two assists. To top off this well-rounded performance, Pitts stayed out of foul trouble in a game fueled with plenty of fouls flying.
Houston’s other star, Peguero, dropped 13 points, two rebounds and three assists. With this performance, Peguero led the team in scoring.
Iowa State’s dynamic duo found themselves both claiming double-doubles, something that has become a frequent occurrence for this team.
Crooks claimed her fifth straight 30-plus game with a 35-point game, along with 13 rebounds for the double-double.
“It was a little rocky at the start; they [Houston] were doing a really good job pressuring our guards,” Crooks said. “We figured it out, got the ball moving a little bit faster and that opened up some passing lanes for me.”
Williams landed her fifth career double-double with 16 points, five rebounds and 14 assists.
Paint points
A common point of success for both teams was in the paint points. Between Crooks’ 34 paint points being half of the entirety of the Cyclones’ paint points and the Cougars’ main area of scoring being in the paint, an emphasis presented itself.
In a red-out themed game, both teams took the term ‘paint the town red’ literally, as they avoided foul trouble and employed strict defense that led to a packed paint scoring tactic.
Despite the near entirety of Houston’s scoring coming from the paint, the defensive flow of Iowa State disrupted the Cougars’ offensive groove, as they held a 38.5% field goal percentage throughout the game.
One major difference in scoring arose as the Cyclones also implemented long-range shots, which accounted for 24 of their 80 points beyond the arc. Houston struggled with long-range shooting, going 4-for-8 in attempts.
“We shot the three great,” head coach Bill Fennelly said. “The difference in the game is we have Audi Crooks, and they didn’t.”
With Iowa State’s final contest of 2025 completed, the team will return to Ames to take on No. 22 Baylor on Sunday.
All quotes are provided from the Big 12 ESPN game broadcast.
